Anthony Turner ( fl. 1622 – 1659) was a noted English actor in the

Caroline era The Caroline era is the period in English and Scottish history named for the 24-year reign of Charles I (1625–1649). The term is derived from ''Carolus'', the Latin for Charles. The Caroline era followed the Jacobean era, the reign of Charles's ...

. For most of his career he worked with

Queen Henrietta's Men Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era in London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta's Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King's Men. Beginnings The company ...

, one of the leading

theatre companies Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

of the time. Nothing is known of Turner's early life or the start of his career; by 1622 he was already a leading player with the

Lady Elizabeth's Men The Lady Elizabeth's Men, or Princess Elizabeth's Men, was a company of actors in Jacobean London, formed under the patronage of King James I's daughter Princess Elizabeth. From 1618 on, the company was called The Queen of Bohemia's Men, afte ...

. In 1625,

Christopher Beeston Christopher Beeston (c. 1579 – c. 15 October 1638) was a successful actor and a powerful theatrical impresario in early 17th century London. He was associated with a number of playwrights, particularly Thomas Heywood. Early life Little is kno ...

formed a new company under the patronage of the new queen,

Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...

; some members of the Lady Elizabeth's troupe, including Turner, joined the organization. Turner was a consistent presence in the known casts of the Queen Henrietta's company; he played — * Justice Landby in Shirley's '' The Wedding'' * Old Lord Bruce in Davenport's ''

King John and Matilda ''King John and Matilda'' is a Caroline era stage play, a historical tragedy written by Robert Davenport. It was initially published in 1655; the cast list included in the first edition provides valuable information on some of the actors of En ...

'' * Bashaw Alcade in Part 2 of Heywood's ''

The Fair Maid of the West ''The Fair Maid of the West, or a Girl Worth Gold, Parts 1 and 2'' is a work of English Renaissance drama, a two-part play written by Thomas Heywood that was first published in 1631. Date The dates of authorship of the two parts of ''The Fa ...

'' * Crates and two other minor parts in Nabbes's ''

Hannibal and Scipio ''Hannibal and Scipio'' is a Caroline era stage play, a classical tragedy written by Thomas Nabbes. The play was first performed in 1635 by Queen Henrietta's Men, and was first published in 1637. The first edition of the play contained a cast l ...

''. Turner tended to play older men, like Justice Landby and Old Lord Bruce; yet he also took the role of a kitchen maid in Part 1 of ''Fair Maid'' — one of the few cases in which a mature actor, rather than a

boy player Boy player refers to children who performed in Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the adult companies and performed the female roles as women did not perform on the English stage in this period. Others ...

or young adult actor, is known to have played a female character. During the difficult years of the bubonic plague epidemic of 1636–37, Queen Henrietta's Men left Beeston and the

Cockpit Theatre The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was named The Phoenix. History The original building was an actual cockpit; that is, a st ...

. The company fractured for a time, but in 1637 was reconstituted at the

Salisbury Court Theatre The Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre (structure), theatre in 17th-century London. It was in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishop of Salisbury, Bishops of Salisbury. Salisbury Court was ...

, with several veterans, including Turner, as continuing members. Turner apparently won a leading position in the troupe; on 6 March 1640, when the Queen's Men were paid £80 for seven Court performances in the previous two years, Turner was the member who received the payment. On 8 January 1641, Turner and leading man Richard Perkins received royal liveries for fourteen members of the company. Apart from his thespian skills, Turner is the subject of one of the more curious records in the annals of English Renaissance drama: In October 1624, his wife Dorothy got into legal trouble "for cruelly beating and abusing her husband Anthony Turner." Their marriage did not endure; Turner buried another wife, Joan, on 8 February 1640. The parish records of St. Giles in the Fields, home to many theatre people in Turner's era, also record the burials of four Turner children between 1636 and 1651. Only a few signs of Turner's activity are available after the theatres were closed in 1642, at the start of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. In

Andrew Pennycuicke Andrew Pennycuicke (fl. 1638 – 1658) was a mid-seventeenth-century actor and publisher; he was responsible for publishing a number of plays of English Renaissance drama. What little is known of Pennycuicke's acting career comes from his o ...

's 1653 edition of

William Heminges William Heminges (1602 – c. 1653?), also Hemminges, Heminge, and other variants, was a playwright and theatrical figure of the Caroline period. He was the ninth child and third son of John Heminges, the actor and colleague of William Shakespear ...

's play ''

The Fatal Contract ''The Fatal Contract: A French Tragedy'' is a Caroline era stage play, written by William Heminges.Carol A. Morley, ed., ''The Plays and Poems of William Heminge'', Madison, NJ, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2006.William Heminges, ''The ...

'', the preface is co-signed "A. T." — and this is thought to indicate Anthony Turner. In 1659, Turner got into trouble for acting in plays at the

Red Bull Theatre The Red Bull was an inn-yard conversion erected in Clerkenwell, London operating in the 17th century. For more than four decades, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the City and its suburbs, developing a reputation over the years for ...

, despite the official ban.Nunzeger, p. 383. (

William Wintershall William Wintershall (died July 1679), also Wintersall or Wintersell, was a noted seventeenth-century English actor. His career spanned the difficult years of mid-century, when English theatres were closed from 1642 to 1660, during the English Civi ...

and a Henry Eaton paid a bond to assure Turner's court appearance.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Anthony English male stage actors 17th-century English male actors Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown